USS LSM-240

Evidence

17 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-17).

1. [1]research packet 821-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-lsm-240-lsm240-pkt-821-packet-md

2. [2]NavSource Online, Amphibious Photo Archive, USS LSM-240 hull page (history extract from LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces, Vol. II, Turner Publishing, 1997); Shipbuilding History Western Pipe & Steel yard table [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/14/14240.htm hull chronology; https://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/westernpipe.htm hull table (hull no. 195) and https://shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm production list

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   LSM-240 was an LSM-1-class Landing Ship Medium - the 203-foot diesel-drive amphibious design built across seven yards in 1944-45, 558 hulls total per Shipbuilding History. She was ordered 6 October 1943 (within a contract block originally intended as LCT(7)-series hulls), built as Western Pipe and Steel Company yard hull number 195 at the company's wartime San Pedro, California yard; laid down 19 April 1944; launched 31 July 1944; commissioned USS LSM-240 on 28 September 1944 with Lt. Ray Arthur Dyke Jr., USNR, in command. Shipbuilding History corroborates: 'LSM 240 | Western Pipe | San Pedro CA | 28-Sep-44 | Sold to GM Diesel 1947' and yard hull no. 195.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1943-1944

   Population

   Western Pipe & Steel San Pedro construction workforce (1944); commissioning crew

   Limitations

   Establishes construction and commissioning identity only. NavSource is a volunteer secondary compilation; the history extract traces to Turner Publishing's LSM-LSMR Amphibious Forces Vol. II. No asbestos, insulation composition, hazmat, exposure, or causation content. uboat.net/navypedia print the builder location as 'San Francisco' - a site conflict (see gaps); San Pedro corroborated by two sources and by the yard's own wartime build list.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-01

3. [3]Naval History and Heritage Command, United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945 (Navy Department Library online reading room) [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   LSM Flotilla Six / LSM Group 16 / LSM Division 31 table (LSM 240 row, between LSM 221 and LSM 320)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official NHHC 'United States Pacific Fleet Organization, 1 May 1945' record lists 'LSM 240' under LSM Division 31, LSM Group 16, LSM Flotilla SIX (commander Comdr. A. R. Quinn; group commander Lt. Cdr. J. T. Brugger, Jr., USNR), with Lt. R. A. Dyke, Jr. (USNR) as the ship's commanding officer.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-05-01

   Population

   Ship's company (~59) and Pacific Fleet amphibious personnel

   Limitations

   Official organization record corroborating assignment and command as of 1 May 1945; conflicts with the NavSource/Turner extract's 'LSM Division Thirty-Two' (see gaps) - the NHHC document is carried. It does not provide the full service history or any asbestos, insulation, exposure, or causation finding.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-02

4. [4]NARA Catalog, file unit 'LSM-240, 9/28/44-5/1/46', NAID 126527269 (RG 24 muster rolls; digitized, Ancestry-provided images) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 126527269; Report of Changes NAVPERS 608-B image within the file unit (commissioning-month officer roster)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA holds this hull's digitized muster rolls for the full commissioned period: file unit 'LSM-240, 9/28/44-5/1/46' (NAID 126527269, RG 24, 'Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities', 126 images). The commissioning Report of Changes (NAVPERS 608-B) for the month ending 28 September 1944 lists the officers received aboard at commissioning: Lt. R. A. Dyke Jr. (155494) from N.O.B. San Pedro, and Ensigns R. C. Clasen (355530), R. L. Brown (324666), W. K. Butler (332464), and L. M. Sweet (372667) from the Supervisor of Ships, San Pedro - documenting that the two officers who later commanded the ship (Brown, Nov 1945-Mar 1946; Butler, Mar-2 May 1946, per NavSource) were commissioning plankowners.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1944-09-28 to 1946-05-01

   Population

   USS LSM-240 commissioning officers and crew (roster through decommissioning)

   Limitations

   Personnel documentation only - the muster roll is the crew-of-record for the commissioned period and is the standard proof-of-ship-assignment document, but it contains no asbestos, material, or health information. Contents inspected at commissioning-month pages; the full 126-image run was not page-read.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-03

5. [5]NARA Catalog, 'COM LSM GR 16 - War Diary, 9/1-30/45', NAID 77562616 (RG 38, WWII War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77562616, diary paragraphs 1-13 (images 1-4 of the file unit)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The digitized Commander LSM Group SIXTEEN war diary for September 1945 (NAID 77562616, RG 38 WWII War Diaries) names LSM-240 in the occupation lifts to Japan: (1) TU 33.11.2 - 34 LSMs with elements of the First Cavalry Division and 112th RCT embarked - sortied Manila Bay 2 September, entered Tokyo Bay and anchored off Yokohama 9 September; (2) on 10 September elements disembarked 112th RCT troops at Tateyama Naval Air Station, Honshu, beaching 0955 and completing unloading 1020; (3) on 11 September an LSM unit under Commander LSM Group 16 'consisting of LSM's 56, 240, 244 and 370' beached in Yokohama harbor and unloaded until 2015; (4) LSM-240 returned to Manila in TU 32.6.1 (departed Tokyo Bay 12 September, arrived Manila Bay 20 September); (5) on 29 September she sortied Manila in TU 33.2.10 (Tokyo Unit, 30 LSMs named including '240'), lifting elements of USASCOM 'C', FEAF, 110th Special Service Company, and 312th Signal Service Company.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-09

   Population

   Ship's company plus embarked First Cavalry Division and 112th RCT elements (lift population)

   Limitations

   Command-level war diary naming this hull by hull number in task-unit compositions - primary operational documentation of movements, not an exposure or materials record. Ship-level daily detail (precise beachings per ship) is at the group/unit level; the NavSource photo caption independently places LSM-240 moored bow-to at Tateyama in September 1945.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-04

6. [6]NARA Catalog, 'COM LSM GR 16 - War Diary, 10/1-31/45' NAID 77601139 and 'COM LSM GR 16 - War Diary, 11/1-14/45' NAID 633456069 (RG 38) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 77601139 paras 1-8 (TU 33.2.10 ship list and positions); NAID 633456069 paras 2-3 (Saipan group ship list); NavSource occupation-service table

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The COM LSM Group SIXTEEN war diaries for October and November 1945 (NAIDs 77601139 and 633456069) name LSM-240 continuing the second occupation lift: TU 33.2.10 (30 LSMs including '240') sheltered from a typhoon in Nago Wan, Okinawa on 4 October, sortied 5 October, and entered Tokyo Bay 7 October 1945; on 1 November LSM-240 was among the LSMs enroute Saipan from Yokohama, anchoring Saipan Harbor at 1630, and 2-13 November the group conducted upkeep, logistics, and loading awaiting orders for Guam. NavSource lists the ship's Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia clasp) periods as 4-24 September 1945 and 7 October-25 November 1945 - consistent with the diary movements.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-10 to 1945-11

   Population

   Ship's company; embarked USASCOM 'C'/FEAF/110th Special Service/312th Signal Service elements (29 Sep lift)

   Limitations

   Command-level diaries naming the hull in unit compositions; individual ship-level events within the task unit are not separately itemized. Occupation-medal periods are award-eligibility windows, not exact presence boundaries - the diary shows Tokyo Bay arrival 7 October matching the second period's start; the first period (from 4 September) includes enroute days from Manila.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-05

7. [7]NARA Catalog, 'COM LSM GR 16 - War Diary, 4/1-30/45', NAID 140015976 (RG 38) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 140015976, 1 April 1945 entry (TU 55.7.3 composition list)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The COM LSM Group SIXTEEN war diary for April 1945 (NAID 140015976) lists the group's fourteen LSMs in task unit TU 55.7.3 (LSM Defense Unit One) enroute Okinawa Shima from Saipan on 1 April 1945 - LSMs 56, 61, 62, 81, 82, 167, 172, 173, 187, 208, 221, 244, 275, 279. LSM-240 is not in the list, although the 1 May 1945 fleet organization places her administratively in the same group's Division 31.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-04

   Limitations

   An absence from a convoy list is evidence she was not in that specific echelon - not proof she never went to Okinawa; she could have been detached, under repair, or on other tasking, and joined the group roster later. Consistent with the absence of battle stars in her ribbon block. Carried to prevent overclaiming an Okinawa assault role from group membership alone.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-06

8. [8]NavSource Online, USS LSM-240 hull page disposition block; Shipbuilding History LSM production list; companion NavSource USS LSM-287 page ('General Motors Cleveland Diesel Engine Division') [other_primary]

   Locator

   NavSource 10/14/14240.htm chronology; https://shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/lsm.htm; https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/14/14287.htm

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Disposition per NavSource: decommissioned 2 May 1946 (the companion LSM-287 page, same disposal chain, says 'at Lake Charles, LA'); struck from the Naval Register on a date unknown; transferred to the Maritime Commission at Lake Charles, LA, for disposal (action reference PDX-225, 27 September 1946); sold 4 March 1947 to General Motors Diesel Engine Division, Cleveland, OH; final disposition 'fate unknown.' Shipbuilding History independently records 'Sold to GM Diesel 1947.' The buyer was the GM division (Cleveland Diesel Engine Division) whose 16-278A engines powered the ship - GM's documented postwar practice was acquiring surplus Navy craft and reclaiming/rebuilding their diesels for resale propulsion packages.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1946-1947

   Population

   Decommissioning/disposal workforce at Lake Charles; GM Cleveland Diesel workforce (1947)

   Limitations

   Establishes the documented disposal chain; nothing after the 4 March 1947 sale is documented ('fate unknown' in both sources). The engine-reclamation context for the GM purchase is secondary/enthusiast literature, not an official record - noted for plausibility only. No scrapping, hazmat, or material record for this hull's end exists in the sources searched. Strike-date variant (3 Jul 1946) is secondary-only - see gaps.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-07

9. [9]NARA Catalog file unit NAID 101746778 (document contents); NavSource USS LST-240 commanding-officer list [other_primary]

   Locator

   NAID 101746778 images 1-3 (form code, letterhead, signature block); https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/16/160240.htm CO list (Morgan, 13 Nov 1944 - 3 May 1946)

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   CORRECTION: NARA file unit NAID 101746778 is cataloged 'USS LSM-240 - War Diary, 6/1-30/45' but the three-page document is actually USS LST-240's June 1945 war diary: the internal form code reads 'LST240/P-20', the letterhead reads 'USS IST 240' (typo for LST 240), and it is signed 'DANIEL H. MORGAN, Lieut., USN, Commanding' - and NavSource's LST-240 commanding-officer list shows LT Daniel Hughe Morgan, USN, commanding LST-240 from 13 November 1944 to 3 May 1946. LSM-240's CO in June 1945 was Lt. R. A. Dyke Jr. The diary describes LST-240's LVT-crew training duty with Commander Training Command, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet, San Diego - not LSM-240 operations.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-10-01

   Study period

   1945-06 (document date); 2026-10-01 (correction)

   Limitations

   Corrects a catalog-level misattribution between hull names LSM-240 and LST-240 - a genuine collision pair. The mislabeled document was NOT used as evidence for this hull's movements; all June-1945 claims for this hull therefore rest on other sources. Catalog correction reported implicitly via this record.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-08

10. [10]National Archives, 'Guided Topics: Asbestos' Navy research page (RG 19 Cartographic Branch guidance) [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA page, Cartographic Branch (Blueprints & Engineering Drawings) section, paragraph beginning 'The record series most sought after'

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    ARCHIVAL LEAD: NARA's Navy-vessel asbestos-research guide identifies RG 19 ship-engineering drawings arranged by hull number and Ship Material Group as a research path, naming S39 (Insulation and Lagging) and S48 (Piping) as frequently reviewed codes - while noting those paper-series drawings are relatively rare and directing researchers to microfilm when the codes are not found. No LSM-240 drawing set was requested or reviewed; the digitized catalog records located for this hull were the muster rolls (ev-03) and parent-command war diaries (ev-04/05).

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    2026-10-01

    Limitations

    A research route, not evidence: no LSM-240 S39/S48 drawing was located in the digitized catalog or requested. If a drawing set exists on microfilm it could raise this hull's documentation level in a future pass. Carried from the prior session's partial record (commit 224a9711), verified live 2026-10-01.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-09

11. [11]Inference from the ship-specific NavSource diesel specification (GM 16-278A direct-drive plant, no steam system) and the documented source-review negative [other_primary]

    Locator

    NavSource propulsion/specification block; source-review negative documented in search_ledger

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos survey, product inventory, abatement record, or condition report was located for this hull. As an LSM-1-class diesel landing ship built April-September 1944, era-standard candidate applications were machinery and diesel-exhaust insulation, gaskets, valve packing, electrical insulation, deck covering, and pipe lagging in accommodation spaces - possible application categories only, none documented aboard LSM-240.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1944-1947

    Population

    Western Pipe San Pedro construction trades (1944); ship's company (1944-46); disposal workers (1946-47)

    Limitations

    Possible categories only - not a finding that asbestos was installed aboard LSM-240. The cited page identifies no asbestos or insulation composition; no quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation is established. The diesel plant removes the boiler/turbine lagging pathway typical of steam vessels but not the general era applications.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-10

12. [12]'Pronto in South Vietnam' (32 Small Ship Squadron RAE Association unit history), chapter 5-3, 'Ship conditions' and RASIGS manning sections [other_primary]

    Locator

    ProntoSVN_CH5-3_2013.pdf, 'Ship conditions' passage and later asbestos-exposure listing

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Type-level corroboration: an Australian Army unit history of the four ex-U.S. Navy LSM-1-class landing ships operated to Vietnam (32 Small Ship Squadron RAE; ships incl. ex-USS LSM-547 'Clive Steele') records: 'All accommodation spaces were below deck with poor ventilation... Above the bunks were pipes lagged with asbestos, which would rain down on the sleeper during heavy seas, covering him in white dust,' and lists asbestos among the exposures crews experienced with resulting poor mortality/morbidity.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1960s-1972 (service described); publication undated in the retrieved chapter

    Population

    Australian Army LSM crews (1966-1972); by extension, accommodation-space personnel on LSM-1-class ships

    Limitations

    Sister-type evidence, not this hull: describes Australian Army-operated ex-USN LSM-1-class ships in 1960s-70s Vietnam service (different hulls, likely different construction yards than Western Pipe San Pedro, and 20+ years after this hull's service). A veterans' association history - recollection-based, not a survey or specification. Establishes that the LSM-1 design as built carried asbestos pipe lagging over accommodation bunks, making era-consistent presence aboard LSM-240 plausible but not proven.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-11

13. [13]Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615 (Cal. Ct. App. 2001) (Justia mirror of the published opinion) [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion, 'General Background' (contract asbestos requirement; 1942-45 employment) and 'Corporate History' (1945 WPS asset sale)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Franklin v. USX Corp., 87 Cal. App. 4th 615, 105 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (Cal. App. 2001): the agreed record established that Western Pipe & Steel's World War II Maritime Commission shipbuilding contract 'required the use of ship building materials containing asbestos,' and that the plaintiff contracted peritoneal mesothelioma from childhood secondhand exposure via parents who worked at the Western Pipe & Steel Shipyard in South San Francisco 1942-1945. The Court of Appeal reversed the trial court's successor-in-interest holding against USX on contract-interpretation grounds.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1942-1945 (exposure window); 2001 (opinion)

    Population

    Western Pipe & Steel workers and their families (WWII); household-exposure plaintiff

    Limitations

    Builder-operations context with material limits: the litigated yard was Western Pipe's SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO yard under a Maritime Commission contract - LSM-240 was built at the same company's separate SAN PEDRO wartime yard under Navy contract. The asbestos-requirement finding was an agreed-record fact, not an adjudicated exposure ruling for any LSM-240 worker, and the appellate outcome was a reversal on successor-liability grounds. It establishes that this builder's WWII government shipbuilding work required asbestos materials - nothing about this hull.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-12

14. [14]U.S. GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

    Locator

    GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked to automated fetch per standing note)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    GAO documented that the Navy used asbestos insulation extensively aboard ships and did not begin substituting alternative insulation materials until the early 1970s - spanning this hull's entire construction (1944) and service era (1944-46).

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1979 (report); era coverage spans this hull's life

    Population

    Navy ships and shipyard workers generally

    Limitations

    Program-level documentation; supports era context only, not any fact specific to this hull. Does not name LSM-240 or establish asbestos aboard, locations, quantity, removal history, or remaining material. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch) - content via product-page description.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-13

15. [15]U.S. EPA Appendix A study PDF (facility A11, 'Location and Facility Description') [other_primary]

    Locator

    EPA PDF, section A11, 'Location and Facility Description', p. A11-1 (PDF text page 40)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    EPA documents that a New Jersey factory was established specifically to supply asbestos insulation for pipes, boilers, and turbines of U.S. Navy ships during World War II, operating June 1941 through November 1954 - spanning this hull's 1944 construction era.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    1941-1954

    Population

    Navy shipbuilding/insulation supply chain, WWII era

    Limitations

    Navy-wide supply-chain context only: the document does not identify LSM-240, its builder, its machinery, or any material installed aboard. Establishes that the Navy's WWII insulation supply chain existed during this hull's construction era - nothing ship-specific. Carried from the prior session's partial record (commit 224a9711).

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-14

16. [16]CourtListener API v4 via /Users/charlesfletcher/devin-prompts/cl-auth-search.py (authenticated) [court_record]

    Locator

    search_ledger sl-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-07; five authenticated queries, all count=0

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Authenticated CourtListener searches returned zero results across both opinion and docket indexes for 'LSM-240', 'USS LSM-240', and 'LSM 240' - no qualifying asbestos litigation naming this hull, and no collisions requiring classification. A general web sweep likewise surfaced no qualifying case, BVA decision, or veterans-claim document naming this hull.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    2026-10-01

    Limitations

    A search result, not proof that no unindexed, sealed, or non-text-linked case exists. Absence of a located case does not establish absence of exposure or defeat any legal claim.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-15

17. [17]Source-review negative across the sources listed in the search ledger [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-01 through -13

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    No ship-specific asbestos documentation was located in the public sources reviewed: NavSource hull page, NHHC fleet organization record, digitized NARA muster rolls and naming war diaries, NVR resource, CourtListener, and official-source web results contain no asbestos survey, insulation-material statement, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or qualifying asbestos litigation record for LSM-240.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-10-01

    Study period

    2026-10-01

    Limitations

    A negative public-source finding is not proof that asbestos was absent. Non-digitized Navy, shipyard (Western Pipe San Pedro), MARCOM disposal, and post-sale records may contain additional evidence; asbestos documentation therefore remains class_or_era.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-lsm-240-lsm240-16